PETALING JAYA: Traffic along the North-South Expressway (NSE) is moving, albeit slowly, with congestion reported in several routes, especially in the north between Ipoh and Penang.

A PLUSLine spokesman said several stretches were experiencing heavy traffic, namely from Juru to Bukit Tambun, Changkat Jering to Kuala Kangsar and Nilai to Seremban yesterday.

He said there was a visible increase in northbound traffic towards Kuala Lumpur while southbound traffic towards Kuala Lumpur was normal.

On complaints that there was a lack of information notifying motorists of bottlenecks ahead, the spokesman said there were 24 fixed electronic variable message signs (VMS) located at critical areas along the NSE, Elite Highway and the NKVE.

“Patrol teams from PLUS, Propel Bhd and highway police are monitoring traffic conditions along the NSE round-the-clock throughout the Chinese New Year rush period,” he said.

He reminded road users to adhere to the travel time advisory by logging on to www.plus.com.my.

The public can also contact PLUSLine (24-hour) at 1-800-88-0000 for the latest traffic information.

In Lumut, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said he expected heavy traffic along the NSE leading to Kuala Lumpur today with many returning from the festive holidays.

He urged road users to take all precautions to ensure a safe journey, adding that bus operators and other commercial vehicles should particularly take note of this.

PETALING JAYA: Traffic into Kuala Lumpur and other major towns picked up as holiday makers returned home after the Chinese New Year break.

Traffic on certain stretches of the North-South Expressway (NSE) was slow-moving from 11am yesterday.

A check with PLUS Expressways Bhd at 5pm revealed that traffic in several stretches had been steadily increasing since late morning.

These included the south-bound lanes from Seberang Jaya to the Juru toll plaza in Penang, from Changkat Jering to Sungai Perak and from Ipoh to Sungkai in Perak. Traffic was also building up from Nilai to Seremban in Negri Sembilan.

The congested north-bound lanes at the southern portion of the NSE included the stretch from Ayer Keroh to Jasin in Malacca and from Machap to Sedenak in Johor.

At least six accidents were reported on the NSE yesterday, according to PLUS’ live Twitter traffic feeds.

PLUS Expressways corporate communications general manager Khalilah Talha said motorists followed the travel time advisory (TTA) during festive seasons when going for their holidays, but not when returning home.

“We encourage motorists to follow the TTA and plan their journey even when going back,” she said.

“They can also call our toll-free PLUSLine at 1-800-88-0000 for enquiries, follow us on Twitter or follow the directions of our PLUS staff and Rela people,” she said.

On Twitter, PLUS has launched its up-to-the-minute traffic updates bearing the username @plustrafik.